The Return-to-Work Trajectories and Outcomes of Traumatic Injury Survivors in Ethiopia
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Authors
Ahmed, Ansha Nega
Date
2025-05-09
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
Return-to-work , Traumatic injury , Injury survivors , Ethiopia , Rehabilitation Science
Alternative Title
Abstract
Background: Traumatic injury is a life-changing event. It can lead to substantial residual effects on survivors’ physical, psychological and social well-being and limit their participation in life, including employment. In Ethiopia, the incidence of injury among working-age citizens is rising. However, there is a poor understanding of its consequences on survivors’ return to work (RTW). This dissertation research examines the post-injury RTW phenomenon among traumatic injury survivors in the Ethiopian context.
Methods: Two complementary studies were conducted employing a multi-methods approach: a quantitative, institution-based, cross-sectional study and a qualitative study using a constructivist grounded theory approach. The quantitative study used data from a review of patients’ medical records from a public hospital in Addis Ababa, followed by telephone interviews with injury survivors a year after injury. Descriptive statistics, multivariable logistic regression and survival analysis were carried out to characterize their RTW outcomes and explore factors influencing the RTW outcomes. The qualitative study used data collected via face-to-face, in-depth interviews among injury survivors with residual impairments. Following Charmaz’s constructivist grounded theory approach in the data coding and analysis, we constructed a substantive theory about the post-injury RTW process in the Ethiopian context.
Findings: The findings revealed that a significant portion of injury survivors remain with residual impairment (61%) and fail to RTW up to a year after injury (41%). Multiple factors influence the post-injury RTW success of survivors, such as severity and type of injury, timely access to healthcare, residual disability, motivation, chronic illness, compensation and pre-injury job, which are crucial to the planning and implementation of RTW interventions. The findings of the qualitative study uncovered that post-injury interactions of survivors vary by individual. Each survivor experienced unique challenges and had different resources. The substantive theory – Synergistic Connectedness (spiritual-, social-, and self- connectedness) – is a unique theoretical contribution to the work disability and RTW field.
Conclusion: Addressing the challenges and needs of injury survivors in their RTW process requires context-specific evidence and the collaboration of stakeholders. Leveraging the existing structures, resources, professionals, and connections of injury survivors is essential in the current state of Ethiopia to improve post-injury work reintegration.
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Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International